


The A-Team (White Lips, Pale Face)

by lamienne



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Songfic, fluff? I guess, oh boy my first fic and it's already this bad, what am i going to do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 00:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6064906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamienne/pseuds/lamienne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snapshots of Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers throughout the years, and how they returned to one another.</p><p>Songfic inspired by Ed Sheeran's "The A-Team".</p>
            </blockquote>





	The A-Team (White Lips, Pale Face)

**Author's Note:**

> I've been listening to Ed Sheeran's "The A-Team" on repeat, non-stop, since yesterday morning, and this fic popped into existence because of it. (Yeah I know the song is about a girl addicted to crack cocaine but...snowflakes? Cold? Winter Soldier? ANGST? HOW COULD I PASS THAT UP?)
> 
> I rated this T for language, but I'm not really good at judging ratings. If you think something needs to be changed, let me know in the comments or...messaging me? I recently joined AO3 and haven't really had time to explore.
> 
> This was also un-beta'ed. Sue me if you find any mistakes. (Except please don't I'm poor)
> 
> Thanks for clicking on the link! Enjoy.

_White lips, pale face_

Steve can't breathe. He's in the water, drifting further and further from the light as he steadily turns paler and paler and-

_Breathing in snowflakes_

Bucky lies on the frozen rocks, shallow breaths puffing weakly in the air. His arm hurts so bad, so bad, but his heart hurts more-

_Burnt lungs, sour taste_

Steve wakes up in a hospital room. What happened? He was supposed to die, he was supposed to go down in that ship and now-

_Light's gone, day's end_

Bucky is dragged through underground hallways with only dimly flickering lightbulbs. The next time he sees the sky is a year later and he has a new arm. He kills three men but-

_Struggling to pay rent_

Steve sits in his own exhibit at the Smithsonian, elbows on his legs and chin in his hands. He watches Bucky laugh with the rest of the Howling Commandos, thinks back to before the war, when they were poor as dirt but happy as hell, and whispers-

_Long nights, strange men_

Bucky's head lolls as he sits in the chair, not even able to muster up a glare at Zola. The scientist chuckles and reaches towards the button again-

_And they say_

_She's in the Class A Team_

Steve meets Howard's son and wants to punch his lights out almost immediately. He's a cocky little shit but he's a smart cocky little shit. Bucky would have-

_Stuck in her daydream_

_Been this way since eighteen_

Bucky screams. He screams and screams and screams. It's slipping away from him, Steve's smile, even though he clings to it like-

_But lately her face seems_

_Slowly sinking, wasting_

The Soldier re-emerges from cryo obedient and in perfect condition. Zola is proud. The Soldier is sent on his first assassination for Hydra, some bigshot politician-

_Crumbling like pastries_

Steve tears through the building, almost running over several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in his haste to get to Fury. He throws open the office door, not caring about the shocked looks he's getting. "Fury-"

_And they scream_

_The worst things in life come free to us_

The pain is excruciating, pulsing through his nerves and every cell in his body screams with the effort it takes to stay alive, even with the new serum they pumped into him. Bucky wants to tear himself out of his own skin and find a new one, except he can't because the straps on the fucking machine are-

_Cause we're just under the upper hand_

Steve almost grabs Fury by the front of his "intimidating" coat and throttles him. It's only under the combined efforts of Sam, Clint, and Natasha that he manages to clench his fists, turn around, and walk out the door. He just can't believe-

_And go mad for a couple grams_

Bucky is slumped against a corner of "his room". It's little more than a cell, really, but he supposes they're trying to play nice, gain his trust so that they can control him. Good thing starving him isn't the right way to go about that. Too bad for them, they can go fuck themselves with a-

_And she don't want to go outside tonight_

"No, really, Sam, I'm good. No, I don't want take-out. I'm fine. Sam- Sam I'm serious, you don't have to get me anything- yeah. Okay. Yes. Really? Fine." Steve turns off his phone, throws it on his bed (he has a real, actual bed now), flops on it himself, and covers his face with his elbow. If Bucky was here, he would-

Except he's not-

_And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland_

The Soldier steps onto the subway. He wears a glove over his metal arm to prevent any unnecessary attention from being cast onto him. His target is in Car 4, carrying a briefcase and talking on the phone to one of his colleagues-

_Or sells love to another man_

Steve turns down each and every invite Tony and the others extend to go out clubbing in "a modern club, not one of those old as-" " _TONY_.". For once, even Thor's jovial booming cannot shake him, and they head out by themselves, leaving Steve to play old swing records and go back to a dance hall where he sat in a corner and Bucky swung a giggling girl around and Steve wishing it was him instead-

_It's too cold outside_

_For angels to fly_

The Soldier lies on his stomach, positioned to fire. The target is brushing her hair with her bathroom window open. The mission will be accomplished easily. His finger grazes the trigger.

Mission accomplished-

_Angels to fly_

Bucky closes his eyes and wishes he was still able to weep. Because it hurts so fucking bad-

_Ripped gloves, raincoat_

_Tried to swim and stay afloat_

Steve falls from the helicarrier, plunging into the water amidst large flaming chunks of debris. This time, he thinks, at least I got to seek Bucky again. He closes his eyes-

_Dry house, wet clothes_

_Loose change, bank notes_

The Soldier steps out of the river, ready to make his escape. He stops. There is something he must do first. He does not know why. He returns to the water and swims back to the blond man, pulling him by his armpits and depositing him onto the pebbled shore. He pauses for a few seconds to make sure the man is still breathing. Satisfied, he turns his back and walks into the trees. It is time to report.

Mission failed-

_Weary-eyed, dry throat_

Steve hasn't slept in a week and it's showing. The super-soldier serum can only do so much before the man collapses, and the whole team is attempting to cajole the man to go to bed, for fuck's sake. After another 8 hours of pleading, it's finally Natasha who appears out of nowhere, threatens to never show him a file she's uncovered if he doesn't go to bed, and Steve goes. He wakes up an hour later, screaming _Bucky_ -

_Call girl, no phone_

The Soldier walks- no, Bucky walks- the man walks through New York. It's different. So different. Even though he's lived through all these years he can't remember actually seeing any of this. He walks through his old neighborhood, where he used to play kick the can with the other boys, finds the alley where he first found Steve, scrawny little Steve, taking on three boys twice his size, wanders over to the apartment building they first shared.

The Soldier jolts. He cannot delay any longer. They will be looking for him.

He retreats-

_And they say_

_She's in the Class A Team_

Steve is grateful for his new team, except maybe Tony. No, he really is. But Bucky's return (return? Or appearance?) has reminded him of the war, way back when- not like he already doesn't think about it often enough already, but he hardly ever thinks of it on a scale like this, when he's ready to cry, about to punch something to bits.

He looks at Peggy's picture in its frame on his bedside table and remembers-

_Stuck in her daydream_

_Been this way since eighteen_

Bucky's finally breaking out. There are still gaps in his memory that make him frustrated and make him want to punch things but Bucky is back. And this time he's gonna make things right. He tugs on the straps of his backpack, steps on the bus, and leaves his mask under the bench of the bus stop.

He's going-

_But lately her face seems_

_Slowly sinking, wasting_

_Crumbling like pastries_

Steve's sitting at a picnic table in the middle of Central Park, Natasha on his right and Sam on his left. The two had forced him to come out for once, and, according to Sam, "get some sunlight, you're too pale". Steve wonders what's wrong with being pale from staying indoors when you could be pale from electroshock "therapy" like Bucky-

_And they scream_

_The worst things in life come free to us_

Bucky holds his head in his hands and groans for the nth time. The old lady sitting in front of him turns around for the nth time and asks, for the nth time, "Are you sure you're all right, dearie, you don't look like you're feeling so well?" For the nth time, Bucky automatically replies, "I'm fine, ma'am, thank you for asking."

Except he's not fine, because the Soldier is wreaking havoc with his memories and his brain, the Bucky part of him, is struggling to keep the rest of his memories from fading. It hurts-

_'Cause we're just under the upper hand_

_And go mad for a couple grams_

Steve chases a man around the corner and grabs his shoulder, spinning him around. All he receives is a disgruntled, annoyed glare and all he can say is, "Oh. I'm sorry, you looked like someone I knew from behind. I apologize." and all he can do is walk away, knowing that Bucky is somewhere out there, he's doing something- but what and where? Steve walks back toward Stark Towers, shoulders hunched.

Where is he-

_And she don't want to go outside tonight_

_And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland_

Bucky is offered a cigarette by another man loitering in the park. He takes it, drawing the smoke into his lungs. This really brings him back, back to when he filched a cigarette from some old man who was drunk off his ass and Steve wasn't allowed to try it (wasn't allowed by Bucky himself) because of his asthma.

Bucky crushes the cigarette under his boot, despite the protests of the other man ("That was a perfectly good cigarette man, you barely even used it!") and walks with determination towards Stark Towers.

It's getting dark outside-

_Or sells love to another man_

Steve pictures Bucky's face. Pictures another person beside him. Like… Well, no one could ever possibly replace Peggy. But no one could ever replace Bucky either.

Steve chokes when he turns the last corner because there, in front of the lobby doors is-

_It's too cold outside_

_For angels to fly_

Bucky shivers and draws his coat tighter around himself. For someone once known as "The Winter Soldier", and an ex-assassin, he is surprisingly hateful of cold weather. Must have been all the cryo he had to go through. The wind blows in his face, and he turns his head to shield his eyes from the stinging air. But standing there is a figure he knows very well-

_An angel will die_

Steve can't breathe. He's either dead or hallucinating and neither one sounds very optimistic.

"Bucky?"

_Covered in white_

Bucky smiles at Steve, turning fully towards him.

"Hey Stevie."

_Closed eye_

Steve takes one step towards him. Then another. Then another. Then he's running and he doesn't care how stupid he looks, with his coat flapping and his eyes squinted shut against the constantly changing wind because Bucky is here-

_And hoping for a better life_

Bucky is running towards Steve too, having dropped his bag somewhere a couple feet back, but that doesn't matter because he finally sees Steve, finally touches Steve-

_This time, we'll fade out tonight_

The two men clutch each other in the middle of the sidewalk, not caring who walks past (not that there are many people out by Stark Towers in the evening when there isn't a big event going on), but nothing matters because they are here, and they have each other.

They hold each other tight because they are never going to lose each other again no matter what, even if it kills them both-

_Straight down the line_

They are lying in bed, Bucky nestled in Steve's arms. Steve buries his face into the top of Bucky's head and whispers, "Bucky, you still with me?" Bucky mumbles back, "To the end of the line, Stevie, you know that."

This time, they are not alone.


End file.
